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APRIL NEWS nia. In each of the contests, vineyard work- ers had to prune quickly but also cleanly as they were judged for time and quality. The Napa County Pruning Contest Pruning Skills on Display O Vineyard workers compete in North Coast counties akville, Calif.—Pruning contests took place in Napa, Mendocino and Sonoma counties to help kick off the pruning season in Califor- took place Feb. 9 in Oakville, and 79 contestants representing 40 vineyard companies from throughout Napa County took part. Pruners were judged for time and quality using a 100-point scale: 40 points for speed and 60 for quality. After each contestant pruned six cordon- trained vines to leave two-bud spurs, a team of three judges inspected the work and meted out demerits for poor cuts, leaving suckers or pruned debris in trellis wires or between rows. Winners from all the contests took home cash prizes for their efforts. In the Napa contest, Juan Jose Tellez of Gallegos Dozens of skilled vineyard workers com- peted for cash and prizes in three counties. Vineyards came in first, followed by Sergio Rubio of Bettinelli Vineyards, Jesus Juarez of Moulds Family Vineyard and Jorge Anguiano of Komes Ranch. View video in the Digital Edition. staff shot a video of the fastest pruning shears in action at the Napa County Pruning Contest. Sonoma County held its competition Feb. 24 at the Santa Rosa Junior College Shone Farm. The Sonoma contest pitted the top winners from five regional contests in the county. The top countywide winners were: first, Fernando Gutierrez, Vine Pro Vineyard Management; second, Servando Rojas, Enrique's Vineyard Management; third, Jose Elias Avila, Bacchus Vineyard Management, and Heladio Garcia of Clendenen Vineyard Management came in fourth. Winners in the Mendocino County Contest that took place Feb. 25 at Nelson Family Vineyards in Hopland, Calif., were: first, Salvador Gutierrez, VinePro Vineyard Management; second, Guillermo Martinez Medina, Beckstoffer Vineyards, and Oscar Ojeda-Hernandez with Goldeneye Winery came in third. —Andrew Adams Wines & Vines APRiL 2012 15 Wines & Vines Wines & Vines